Download Communicating Brands Playfully Structure - Georg

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Communicating Brands Playfully
The Impact of Ad Placements
in Computer Games
Gunnar Mau, Sebastian Kehres, and Günter Silberer
Institute of Marketing and Retailing
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Structure
1. Introduction: Computer Games
2. Computer Games as a Communication Tool
3. Prior Research
4. Hypotheses
5. Method
6. Results
7. Discussion and Conclusion
2
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
3
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
4
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Introduction: Computer Games
ƒ Growth of importance of computer games
ƒ Higher sales have been generated by computer games ($11 billion)
than by movies ($9.185 billion) in the US
(Gaudiosi 2004; Nelson 2005)
ƒ A total of $22 billion was spent worldwide on computer games in 2003
(Christman 2004; Nelson 2005)
ƒ Impressive number of players;
about 35 million people took part in online games in 2004
(prediction for 2006: up to 105 million players)
(Hopper 2002; Wan and Youn 2004)
5
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Computer Games as a Communication Tool (I)
ƒ Computer games have been discovered for marketing purposes
ƒ Steady rise in the number of companies placing their brands, products or advertising messages
in computer games
ƒ It is assumed that hundreds of millions of dollars were already earned in 2004 with advertising
and product placements in computer games
ƒ Computer games offer interesting marketing possibilities:
ƒ Growing number of players
ƒ Characteristics of the players
ƒ Research argues against the stereotype of the young, “nerdy” male computer player
(Chaney, Lin and Chaney 2004; Fattah and Paul 2002; Griffiths, Davies and Chappell 2003)
ƒ Players represent a particularly interesting target group:
above-average income, novelty seeking, and intensive word-of-mouth communication
(Youn, Lee and Doyle 2003)
6
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Computer Games as a Communication Tool (II)
ƒ Computer games offer interesting marketing possibilities:
ƒ Special nature of the game situation
ƒ High involvement
(Zentes and Schramm-Klein 2004)
ƒ Flow experience
(Rheinberg and Vollmeyer 2003; Csikszentmihalyi and Lefevre 1989)
ƒ Creative thinking and active perception
(Green and Bavelier 2003; Nelson et al. 2004; Steuer 1992)
ƒ Technical / design opportunities
ƒ Ease and economical realization of ad placements
ƒ It is possible to fit the advertising message to the individual player and specific game situation
7
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Computer Games as a Communication Tool (III)
ƒ Placement of billboards
Source:
EA FIFA 2006
Electronic Arts
8
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Computer Games as a Communication Tool (IV)
ƒ Product placement
Source:
EA The Sims
www.geocities.com/ antbyrne706/index2.html
9
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Computer Games as a Communication Tool (V)
ƒ Game object design by players
Source:
Nascar Racing 2002
www.macgamefiles.com
10
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Prior Research
ƒ Most studies focus on the impact of playing games on psyche and health
(Goldstein 2003; Klimmt 2004; Southwell and Doyle 2004)
ƒ Consumer motives for playing computer games
(Cassell and Jenkins 1998)
ƒ Studies dealing specifically with advertising in computer games are rare
ƒ Acceptance of ad-placements in computer games
(Hernandez, Chapa, Minor et al. 2004; Nelson 2002; Nelson et al. 2004; Nicovich 2005)
ƒ Brand recall or recognition
(Chaney et al. 2004; Hernandez and Minor 2006)
ƒ Brand preference, defined as the intention to buy and use
(Grigorovici and Constantin 2004)
ƒ Impact of ad placements on the attitude towards the advertised brand has not been
researched at all yet
11
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Hypotheses (I)
ƒ Impact of attitude towards the ad-game on attitude toward the brand
ƒ Ideas of the influence of attitude towards the adgame on attitude towards the brand is
adapted from advertising research;
Attitude-towards-the-ad models postulate impact of AAD on AB
(Lutz 1985; MacKenzie, Lutz, and Belch 1986; Burke and Edell 1989;Gresham and Shimp 1985)
ƒ Elaboration Likelihood Model:
Advertising is processed by its generally little-involved recipients on the peripheral route,
i.e. for the most part the attitude towards the ad placements acts as a peripheral cue
(MacKenzie and Lutz 1989; MacKenzie et al. 1986; Mitchell and Olson 1981)
ƒ In the context of ad-games, the game containing advertising can be considered as a
peripheral cue
H1:
A more positive (negative) attitude towards the ad-game leads to
a more positive (negative) attitude towards the brand advertised.
12
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Hypotheses (II)
ƒ Impact of valence of players’ affective experience on attitude towards the brand
ƒ The valence can influence the judgement of objects in a mood-congruent direction
(Burke and Edell 1989; Forgas 1995; Gorn, Pham and Sin 2001)
ƒ Consumers seem mainly to recall contents congruent with their mood at the time
(Isen, Shalker, Clark et al. 1978)
ƒ Consumers refer to their affective experiences as information when assessing objects
(affect-as-information heuristic; Schwarz 1987; Schwarz and Clore 2003)
ƒ Empirical studies show an impact of affective experience on attitude towards the brand
(Ang and Low 2000; Brown, Homer and Inman 1998; Burke and Edell 1989)
ƒ Computer games are associated with intensive positive feelings
(Döring 2003; Nelson 2005)
H2:
A more positive (negative) valence of gamers’ affective experience leads to
a more positive (negative) attitude towards the brand advertised.
13
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Hypotheses (III)
ƒ Acceptance of ad placements in games
ƒ Oppositional views concerning ad placements in computer games
“I think the billboards don't intrude on the game in any way. I certainly notice them,
which is what they're going for, but I don't think they're bad as long as they stay in the
background of the game and don't impede on or control the entire level's look and feel.”
“I pay $40 for a game (an escape from reality) only to have to watch them rake in more
from peppering everything with a Coke logo? I don't get it, are we to have ads on
everything? I've had enough of it, f-- me, they would tattoo ads on our eyelids if they
could.”
(Nelson et al. 2004)
14
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Hypotheses (IV)
ƒ Impact of the acceptance of ad placements in games by the players
on the attitude towards the brand
ƒ Ads embedded in computer games could lead to reactance and can consequently trigger
negative reactions
H3:
The non acceptance of computer games containing ads leads to a more negative
attitude towards the advertised brand.
15
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Method
ƒ Stimulus
ƒ Modified frequently used Counter-Strike map (First-Person-Shooter)
ƒ Only modification: inclusion of four billboards
ƒ Participants
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
Were acquired through the German-language online forum www.counterstrike.de
Using a specially installed server, the modified map could be downloaded and played
N = 162 computer players, only 2 (1.2 %) were women
Age: M = 20.4 (SD = 4.9)
16
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Method
ƒ attitude towards the brand was ascertained with items of the kind “I find the
brand Coca-Cola …” by means of scores on a five-point Likert-type scale (1 =
absolutely right 5 = not true);
based on Dröge (1989) and MacKenzie and Lutz (1989) using the adjectives
congenial, pleasant, enjoyable, positive, valuable and unique. (factor analysis
extracted a single factor; 73.9 % explained variance; cronbach’s α = .92).
ƒ attitude towards the game with the embedded ad was also recorded this way
and rated on the adjectives good and interesting (r(n = 162) = .76; p < .01;
cronbach’s α = .86).
ƒ attitude towards the unmodified game without advertising was also recorded
with this method (r(n = 162) = .80; p < .01; cronbach’s α = .89).
ƒ valence of the players’ affective experience was captured with selected items
of the pleasure dimension according to Mehrabian and Russell (1974) (“While
playing I was…”; in a good mood, pleased, cheerful, satisfied, happy; 1 factor,
57.5 % explained variance; cronbach’s α = .81).
17
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Results (I)
Hypothesis 1 and 2: Regression Analysis
Attitude towards the
Ad-game
ƒ Attitude towards the ad-game and
valence of the affective experience
.41***
Attitude towards the
Brand
R2 = .23***
Valence of the
Affective Experience
.23**
ƒ Both have a positive impact on the
attitude towards the brand being advertised
ƒ The influence of the attitude towards the adgame is considerably greater.
18
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Results (II)
Hypothesis 3: T-Test
ƒ acceptance of ad placements in games
by the players
Complete Sample
n = 162
Group 1:
“better without ads”
n = 108 (66.7 %)
ƒ Players could be divided into two groups
Group 2:
“just as good with ads”
n = 54 (33.3 %).
Group1:
“better without
ads”
Group 2:
“just as good
with ads”
t (160)
Attitude towards the
Brand
M = 2.92
(SD = 1.23)
M = 3.35
(SD = 1.13)
2.17*
Valence of the
Affective Experience
M = 3.76
(SD = 0.72)
M = 3.78
(SD = 0.68)
.158 n.s.
ƒ Players who find the ad-game worse do indeed
subsequently rate the brand lower than the
players who find both versions of the game at
least equally good
ƒ There is no difference between the two groups
in the valence of affective experience during
the game
19
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Discussion and Conclusion
ƒ Attitude towards the brand is influenced by attitude towards the ad-game and the
valence of affective experience during the game
ƒ Identification of a group of players with a lower evaluation of ad-games than
games without advertising
ƒ Those players who show less acceptance of games containing ads show a lower
attitude towards the brand
ƒ Further research should analyze if there are different reasons for the rejection of
ad placements in computer games and if those have an influence on the impact
of attitude towards the game on attitude toward the game
20
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Thank You!
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Introduction: Computer Games
ƒ
Computer games have departed from their original context to become the subject and
medium of
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
Movies,
Art exhibitions,
Exercise equipment,
Educational tools,
Armed forces training
and more besides
22